RFA Wave Chief was a Wave-class fleet support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary that was built in 1946 as SS Empire Edgehil by Harland & Wolff, Govan, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
She saw service during the Korean War, earning a battle star. Wave Chief also served in the First Cod War and Second Cod War against Iceland. She was extensively modified in the early 1960s and escorted Sir Alec Rose around Cape Horn, South America in April 1968. She was decommissioned and laid up at Rosyth, Fife, in August 1974, and arrived at Inverkeithing, Fife, for scrapping on 13 November 1974.
Description
The ship was built by Harland & Wolff, Govan, Glasgow. She was yard number 1306. She was assessed at <!--, x,xxx NRT, xx,xxx DWT-->.
Wave Chief was initially chartered out before she was taken over by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She was operating in the Mediterranean in 1947, when one of her firemen was discharged dead at Suez, Egypt. In 1949, she loaded a cargo at Abadan, Iran and delivered it to Sydney, Australia. On 25 June 1950, Wave Chief joined the United States Seventh Fleet for naval operations. On 18 November 1951, Wave Chief was refuelling off the coast of Korea when there was an accident which resulted in a large spill of fuel and damage to her rig.
On 12 December 1967, Wave Chief was severely damaged in a storm in the Mediterranean. Repairs were carried out at Gibraltar. She escorted Lively Lady around Cape Horn, South America on 1 April. From 15 to 17 March 1973, Wave Chief assisted Icelandic Coast Guard, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy units in the unsuccessful search for survivors from the trawler Sjoestjaman.